


switch on the power line

by MoonFucker (dearest_starboy)



Category: ENA - Joel G (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Amnesia, Crying, Gen, Human Experimentation, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Robot Feels, Robot/Human Relationships, Unethical Experimentation, Virtual Reality, yeas Ena and most of the others are originally humans in this universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 22:20:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29815227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dearest_starboy/pseuds/MoonFucker
Summary: stop using people for your fucking energy dipshit
Relationships: Ena/Moony (ENA)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 33





	switch on the power line

**Author's Note:**

> Eyyyyo what up fellas. I said I wanted to work on something a little more serious before and I already kinda was! lol
> 
> Uh, tw, things get kinda dark. Ena is going through some shit.

Ever since the long adventure to the Great Runas, you couldn't help but feel things were a bit off. You don't really think about it too hard, things aren't supposed to let your head process it. You either slow down and miss or forget and catch on. If you're not careful, it might collapse. How long it's been like this, you're not sure.

Days melt together, time moves when it wants. The earliest you dare to even remember of existing was dark and lifeless, nothing but a dark empty canvas you stood on, with each step the world lightened up. Colors and sounds, hot and cold, rhyme and reason. You never experienced such a thing before, and yet, everything felt so familiar. Even then you never were truly alone either.

At least in your own body.

Was the world always full of so many languages and friends? You hadn't known, but maybe you were just wrong.

The moment today, you sat at the edge of the giant flying cube, watching the nothingness stare back at you with admirable curiosity. Mismatched legs dangled, playful swinging, tempting you to lean over and dive into the ocean of familiar nothingness.

"Weather's pretty peach, isn't it Ina?" The familiar, boisterous voice of your best friend. She looks different now, much thinner than her usual round, moon body.

"Indeed, indeed!" You answer, "I thought about squaring stick today, but I can't play alone, nor is it enough to play it just I and you."

Moony's wavy movement settles down beside you, careful to not touch you as she always does, "Those games are for loooosers, anyway! Parties are more fun."

"Will you be attending any today?"

"I dunno. Maybe, if yesterday comes back to eat a piece of me. Can't go alone, though!"

You smile. That was an invitation for you to come along with her eventually. And of course, you'd come.

_I don't really want to go._

_But my pal Moony can't go alone!_

_What if there are so many people? I'm allergic!_

_You can't be allergic to friends!_

Moony looks over to you, "Say, Enna... Jenna? Well! What're you planning?"

"I plan of flan, of course! Time has been treating me so well right now, to swim in syrup sounds like a gift well deserved right now."

"... Don't do that." Her tone sounded less chirpy. There it is again, that feeling that something is off. All you could do is nod, her darkened expression lightens up a bit, "I wanna go for a stroll. Wanna come?"

"Why, of course, I would say-" You froze. Goddamn it, the timing is always so poor, your less better half takes control, "HOOOOWWW DAWE YOU! I CAN'T SAY NO!"

Moony chuckles, "Alrighty! Follow the leader, I've got something cool to show you!"

To your horror, Moony slips a bit off the cube before sliding down. The half cries out in fear, but Moony takes in great stride as she excitedly spread her thinner body out and fell into the nothingness.

Memories of the beginning times crawl in your head, both halves of your body fight with each other on whether or not to go with your friend. So, you forced yourself to collapse and roll off the cube, movement less graceful than your friend. Now you're both screaming down, but both for different reasons.

* * *

~°°•°°~

The laboratory always reeked of copper and puke.

Not that it bothered her. No, she wasn't programmed for such meaningless things.

She has her duties to do before joining her patient in her little makeshift world. She almost looks forward to it, as much as she wouldn't like to admit it. But those were her feelings.

Typing in 'MOONY' into the keypad, the metal door to her patient slides open and she walks in. 

The monitor documenting her patient's heartbeat was the only thing keeping the room from being dead quiet.

"Morning, Ena. Happy birthday." Moony greeted her patient. 'Ena'. This specimen was already old enough, by society's standards, old enough to consume alcoholic drinks. 

Metals and military textile restrained her; her unkempt black hair was long enough to reach the tips of her fingers. Wires of all colors made up a good half of her noisy helmet. Moony knew Ena didn't hear her. The girl had no way to, her mind was in another reality.

"To think today you'd be having a birthday party today in a warm nest at M Corp if it weren't for a slip-up, huh?" Moony clicked her pen and jotted down the computer's information on her wellbeing. Breathing's fine. Heartbeat's normal. She gained a few pounds, which is great.

Yet, as much as the AI attempted to be neutral about it, her cold metal hands still shake.

"I did my research on birthdays. They're supposed to special. Especially at 20. Sorry, I couldn't get you anything special, but..." She pulled a clean, golden, goofy-looking dog from her bloodied lab coat, and placed it on Ena's side.

The monitor kept beeping.

~°°•°°~

* * *

You hit the ground without much noise to tell how hard you dropped. Parts of your body were strewn around like a broken mannequin before quickly reforming back into your usual frame.

"Hey, who turned out the lights?"

"Come and take a look, you can't expect me to detail all this, do you?"

To see nothingness, you felt anxious. Was everything from before a lie? Blue, blue, blue, you're whimpering as you try to make sense of where you were. That's until you feel a cold hand grab yours. The relief was never so calming.

"Hard time seeing? You usually have better eyes than mine, I lost one after all!"

You never did know how she lost it.

"Sincerest apologies, I don't know what's going wrong with me today."

"At least you got me! Where would you be without a pal like me to help you?" Indeed... Where could you be without her? And where could she be without you?

You remember, you found her, rather than the other way around, as she would like others to believe. An almost laughable mimicry of the 3d moon that you've seen. She wasn't as loud as she was back then, dull, with no kind of personality attached to her as she went to monitor around. Then disappear in a blink of an eye. There were too many occasions where you saw her, so you hatched a plan to capture the moon lady.

"Look up! I think I saw a worm!"

It worked, but not in the way you expected. She was surprisingly fast, no net or silent surprises could get her where you wanted her. But you certainly caught her attention.

_"What's the meaning of this?"_

_"You're- Huff- Under arrest for conspiracy!"_

_"Conspiracy? I am in no place to commit such things."_

_"Well, you are now! I'll let it slide... If you promise to meet me again!"_

You have no idea how it worked, but it did.

Her tone was more robotic than ones like Merci's. But human enough to not sound like the Maze Guardian's. She really made you think but kept dodging questions you asked of her.

"Your sight is great. But I'm not sure if that's a worm or a sludge!"

"Take my word for it," Moony continue to lead you by hand, "It's gotta be a worm. Sludges would be chowing on us right now."

You never did know when she started to act more different, but it came to a point where her laughter was like a breath of sweet air.

"I've never seen plants like these," You looked up to see a bit of light peeking up from the nothingness, silhouettes of wire-like entities move like wind had just blown on them, "where are we going?"

"It's a secret. A really great one, so I can't spoil anything!"

* * *

~°°•°°~

The memo couldn't have come at the worst time.

V Corp knew what L Corp was doing, and thought that was another efficient way to earn energy without having to depend on the competition to keep it moving along. But it was against the law. Moony's existence was also illegal. V Corp did all they could to keep everything under cover, executing anyone who they deemed as a threat to their cause. 

Ena was the first, the youngest, to begin the virtual reality test. She never volunteered to be a part of it, however. The perks of being an AI were the ability to remember every piece of information given to her. How the poor girl cried when the scientists had to hold her down while they drugged her into submission. 

Merci was different, he was a volunteer, although it was difficult to keep him in the simulation because he was _willing_. It was noted that the way to keep the specimens in the simulation was for them to be unwilling to be a part of it, not to remember that they're even in it.

Recently, the scandal was found out. L Corp had disappeared, now V Corp was out in the open to be targeted for 'Fixing'. Today would be the day that they would fall, and everyone, the victims, the scientists, the illegal body of metal herself, will fall. Today was the first day Moony had gone against protocol.

She pulled out her bloodied pair of shears from her lab coat pocket. "Your family must be worried sick about you," She began cutting away at the textile, "And you haven't had a real party in years. As much as I love doing the work, it's just not right. That's why I gotta help you." Putting her shears away, she went through the nearby emergency toolbox and brought out the bolt cutters. She cuts away at the metal restraints.

The memo stated that Ms. Moony is to cancel the simulation and execute the specimens. Turn off the power and delete all the data collected. All human employees must suicide laying upwards in the patriotic position. 

_What a world, what idiots. They start things they know they shouldn't and go the coward's way out when they get caught. Never sparing a thought for the ones they've put in this situation._

Moony rips out the substitute enkephalin needle from the girl's arm. Now is only then where the girl starts reacting, moving a little in her still-impaired state.

She was ready to join Ena in the simulation. Moony had to do it differently for her, if she had done what she had done with all the others, she would've risked the girl dying from shock. Not a very worthy risk.

There's the hope she doesn't end up killing the poor girl on accident.

~°°•°°~

* * *

The ground was growing wetter until the two of you were running ankle-deep in reflective liquid. When has the nothingness sky become so full of glitter and pieces of glowing glass?

"Oh my."

"Nighttime already. I guess it's that interval again."

"Whatever could you mean?"

Moony looked up, "Look up there!" She points at the sky, colorful shooting stars shining in the sky like rain rocks, "Make a wish, maybe even more!"

"Moony..."

"... What? You usually like this kind of stuff."

You held Moony's hand a little tighter, "It's not that I don't like this. I love it," Your tone dips without you meaning to, "but it doesn't feel right."

"It doesn't?"

"It's that... Well. Hum..." You took her hand and held it with your two mismatched hands, all of you looking at Moony's perplexed expression, "I've been noticing something for... A while, now. I didn't want to think about it at first, why should I ever assume the worst? Everyone is... Disappearing."

Moony's expression faltered a bit, "That happens."

_I feel like she's trying to trick us._

_No, she wouldn't... She's our friend-_

"IT'S NOT NOWMAW!" Your less better half yells, "WE'RE ALL DYING!!! I CAN FEEL IT...! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" She sobs. Moony simply waited patiently as she cried out. 

"... I guess it's time, isn't it?" She lets go of your hand, "I don't even know where to begin."

You look down at the liquid, the familiar mismatched face of yours looks back at you.

"Are we real-?"

"Of course you are. You were always real. We're in V Corp's Dream Life Simulation, you were the first and most successful test subject. Everyone you've met here are real people too."

"Why are we here?" You look at her. She tries to give a smile back, but her mouth twitches in a frown.

"You and the others... You're all here with the sole purpose is to be one of the resources for V Corp's energy."

"Why?!"

"I wouldn't know."

"D... Dammit, Moony-!" You tried to push her but she quickly moved out of the way. And doing so made you lose your balance, and fall into the liquid.

Moony gets on her knees to meet up with you in the shallow water, "I'm trying to get you outta here! I released everyone else, you're the only one left in the simulation. That's why it's so empty." She picks up your head from the water. "... Look, find me the villain all you want. I was just doing my job. I was never meant to be your friend."

"But you did, anyway."

"And it's your fault. You made me realize the idiocy of these people who made me, the least I can do now is try to get you out."

Deep down, you wanted to scold yourself for brushing so many things past you and not paying them any mind. It wasn't the time, nor the place for it. "What do I have to do?"

"I have the command codes ready to execute the command you out of the simulation," You almost didn't realize it, but the glitter in the sky had vanished while you were upset, "when I execute them, I'll be taking off your helmet. Find me and take what you need from me, but don't help me. I can't come with you."

In the distance, you can see the world break apart into bits and pieces, "Why not?! ACK-!" She never answers your question, but she offers a smile as the searing in your head grows to be unbearable, you close your eyes and scream.

It was like being dropped into nothingness again, this time you can feel how cold and painful it truly is.

* * *

~°°•°°~

You hear screaming and you have a headache.

Heavy limbs of yours clumsily went up to rub your head, only for something on your head to send a light shock to you. It takes a lot out of you, but you eventually pull whatever it was off your head, leaving you coughing from how uncomfortable and icky it was to get it off. Two sounds of metal collapse onto the ground.

As you see now, you weren't in nothingness, the instrument was covering your eyes the whole time.

Where were you? It's less colorful than you expected anything to be. Fluorescent light flickers in your room, pictures of a familiar face on the walls, signs you can't read, and an empty red container hanging, destroyed to the point it'll fall off the wall at any moment. Wires with stickiness attached to many parts of your body, a sickly green gown, and... Hourglass dog? The wires get in the way of you attempting to grab the plush, so you rip them off you. It stung a little, left little marks, but nothing too bad. You hold the plush near to your chest.

Auction day, you earned the hourglass dog. You gave it to Moony, obviously. She never won an auction before, so you thought she could get something to brighten up a little. How did it get here? Did Moony give it back to you? Wait... Where _is_ Moony?

"Oh... So it goes..." Speak of the devil, that sounds like her! You stretch a little, grabbing at the bed as your bare feet swung off the edge of the bed and onto the ground. A metal body, half lighter, other darker, wearing a lab coat and broken glasses couldn't seem to get up.

"Moony?" Whoa. That's a voice you'll never get used to. It made you flinch.

The head of the metal person looked up, the same one eye from your beloved looked up at you, "Hah! I did it! You're free!" Her voice sounded more artificial and echoy compared to yours.

"You look horrendous."

"Yeah, that's what working here does to you," Moony reaches in one of her pockets, "this should help you get through most of the doors here, I'm in deep shit for killing one of the most important figures in this facility for this card." You hold out your hand and she drops some sort of card in your hand. Again... You can't read what's on it. "The others are probably looking for you."

"As my companion and observer, it is only fair that you come along, no?"

"I- I can't."

"Moony-"

"I can't go outside, Ena! They'll shut me down and kill you along with everyone else you're with!"

"But I can't do this adventure without you in mind!"

Moony grabs the edge of the bed and pulls herself up, compared to her, you're very, very short. And seemingly heavy too.

"We're companions, aren't we? Through... Shorts and thins, we're like... Icicle spronks."

There's a moment of loud silence. Then Moony lets out that familiar, boisterous laughter. It's more distorted now, but it gives you relief either way. "I don't understand why you care so much. I was so mean to you."

"We can talk about that another time. I just can't imagine a world without you."

"Like icicle spronks." Moony nods in agreement.

You smile, "Indeed, we're close!" It wasn't a lie.

_Oh, Ena. We're really in it now._

_Doubt me all you want, I'm doing what's right._

Moony held out her hand, with you quickly taking it. Whether or not the both of you will be able to leave this place is uncertain, you only know that you won't leave your own friend behind.

And you suspect she won't leave you behind either.

~°°•°°~

**Author's Note:**

> I like the idea of Merci being like an older-sibling figure to Ena. Even if they're only mentioned briefly here, Ena and Merci are like siblings. :]
> 
> Edit: Shooting myself in the foot and making another chapter. Hi. My name is Moonfucker.
> 
> Also yes I based a bit of the 'out of simulation' world on another game with a mix of my own stuff. Take that as you will.
> 
> If you enjoyed this, I'm glad! I like to write whatever ideas come to mind! :]


End file.
